There’s a very good reason why Jonny Williams is back at Town — he believes he has played the best football of his career at Portman Road.
Welsh international Williams, who is well known to supporters after three previous loan spells with the club, has joined from Crystal Palace for a fourth temporary stint through to the end of the current campaign.
The midfielder said: "I think I have played the best football of my career under Mick McCarthy, especially my first loan spell when I was playing regularly and getting in 80 to 90 minutes every game.
"It helped that I was playing with a good bunch of lads, scoring, assisting, enjoying my football and being around the top of the league. It’s mainly been down to Mick giving me the confidence and letting me express myself on match days.”
Looking out over the playing surface where he has turned in some memorable displays. Williams added: "I’ve already spoken to a couple of the lads — Chambo, who has been here every time I’ve been here, and Freddie.
"Plus I know Tom Lawrence, who has also joined on loan, from being alongside him in the Welsh squad and I just can’t wait to get fit and get started.
"The core of the side is still here. The likes of Chambo and Christophe Berra are strong characters and every team needs people like that, people who play week in, week out, and are good lads in the dressing room too.
"There are plenty of players here who like to play good football and that’s only going to help me. It’s a shame Murph has gone because I really enjoyed playing with him when I was here before but with the likes of Freddie and Leon [Best], who has just signed, I’m excited to be part of it again.
"From what I’ve seen of Daryl, plus what I learned from playing alongside him, he deserves his chance with a club like Newcastle.
"He’s been top-class for a few seasons now and I wasn’t surprised when I saw that Newcastle had come sniffing for him. I really hope he does well there.”
Williams’s immediate priority is to regain full fitness after he picked up an ankle injury in a pre-season game for Palace and it could be October before Town fans are able to welcome him back properly.
He said: "It’s three weeks or so since I picked up the injury and I’ve just started to run outside again. I want to be fit and have some game time before the next international break in October, whether that’s an U21 game or a first team game.
"Let’s see what the physios say and hopefully they will get me back in the quickest possible time.”